And frederic thuman



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. W. PRAZAR & F. THUMAN. DEVICE FOR MOISTENING AIR Patented Mar. 8, 1892.

M/Z W $7 ammo 351 M atto gnegy" I 2 S he'ets-Sheet 2. E. W. FRAZAR St E. TRUMAN.

DEVICE FOR MOISTENING AIR.

Patented Mar. 8, 1892.

' ii- E-F 11 I i'-i 1 if,

1R5 Moms FETEIS no, PNUYO-LITNQ, WASHINGTON. n. c.

ATENT Trice.

UNITED STATES EVERETT IV. FRAZAR, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, AND FREDERIC THUMAN,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR MOISTENING AIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,4:24, dated March 8, 1892.

Application filed September 16 1891. Serial No. 405,925. (No model.)

I To all whom it may concern: stand or tripodin front of a register, radiator,

Beit known that we, EVERETT WV.FRAZAR, or other, heater. The weight 8 or spring 8 a resident of Orange, county of Essex, and will overbalance the dry curtain, thereby State of New Jersey, and FREDERIC THU- opening the valve at and allowing liquid to flow 5 5 MAN, a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, into the pipe 9, from whence it will escape to and State of Illinois, both citizens of the the absorbent curtain and will be held United States, have invented a certain new thereby by capillary action. The liquid will and useful Improvement in Devices for Moist- Work down toward the bottom of the curtain ening Air, of which the following is a specififor a distance, depending on the adjustment 60 IO cation. of the counterbalance Weight or spring. As

The present invention relates to means for soon as the weight of the Wet curtain is suffikeeping air in buildings heated by furnaces cient to overbalance the weight or spring the or other means supplied with the desired valve is moved down, closing the outlet and amount of moisture. stopping the further How of liquid. Any ex- 65 Our main object is to provide a simple aucess of water will work down to the bottom of tomatic device notliable to get out of repair the curtain and will be caught by the trough for the purpose mentioned. 13. The hot air from the register or radiator In the accompanying drawings, which illuscauses rapid evaporation of the moisture, and trate our invention, Figure 1 is a plan View of in a short time the weight of the curtain. de- 70 one form of the device. Fig. 2 is a side view, creases, so that the valve is again opened,

partially in section. Fig. 3 is a face view. whentheoperation described willbe repeated.

Fig. 4. is a central section of a modified form, In Fig. 4 is shown an arrangementin which and Fig. 5 is a detail showing one method of an inlet-valve is controlled instead of an out supporting the absorbent curtain. let-valve. 1 is a suitable tank or vessel cor- 7 5 2 5 1 is a tank or receptacle adapted to contain responding to receptacle 1 of Figs. 1, 2, and

water or other suitable liquid 2. 3, and l is a supply-reservoir. 3is a water- 3 is a water outlet or passage, and i is a inlet, and 4 a valve therefor sliding in the valve controlling the same. The valve is conguide 4:". 4" is a stop for the valve. The nected by a rod 5 to the arm or frame 6, pivvalve is made heavy, so that it acts as a weight 80 o oted at 7. The arm or frame is provided with tending to hold the valve open-that is, in an adjustable counterbalanced weight 8 or the position shown in Fig. 4. From the valve with a counterbalance-spring, the latter arextends a cord or cords 16, over a suitable rangement being indicated in dotted lines at pulley 17, to the trough 9, supporting curtain 8. Any other suitable power for moving the 10. At the bottom of the curtain, instead of a S 5 3 5 arm 6 in one direction may be employed. At. drip tube or trough 13, is shown an enlarged the opposite end of the arm 6 is a transverse fringe or body of absorbent material. The tube 9, perforated along its lower side and operation of this apparatus is as follows: supporting an absorbent materiahwhich is in When it is first put in place, the valve is the form of a freely-suspended curtain 10 of opened, allowing water to flow from the sup- 9o cloth, as distinguished from an absorbent maply-reservoir into the tank 1 until it is full terial held in a cup or on a plate. The ends enough to overflow into the trough 9. The of the tube 9 are closed by removable caps 9' water then wets the curtain, increasing its to allow of cleansing. As shown in Fig. 2,the weight until it overbalances the weight of cloth is'wrapped around the tube and secured the valve, thereby, through the cord 16 rais- 5 at 11. ing and closing the valve and stopping the 12 isa flexible tube extending from the outflow of water. When the curtain dries to a let 3 to the tube 9 and communicating with certain extent, depending on the size and the latt r. weight of the valve, the valve descends, and

, 13 is a pipe or trough at the bottom of the is thus opened, as already described. 10c

curtain, but being open at 14. r Instead of wrapping the curtain or absorb- The device described may be located on a cut material around the perforated tube, as

described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, we may provide the tube with a longitudinal slit 15 along its lower side and slip the upper end of the curtain, which is slightly enlarged,into the slit, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, so that when the water is admitted to tube 9 it will gradually soak into the curtain and work downward, instead of running out through perforations.

The device described is exceedingly sim ple, and by the use of suitable material for making the tank, curtain, and other parts it may be made very ornamental.

We do not limit ourselves to'just the arrangement described. It is evident, for example, that it is not essential that the weight of the absorbent material when wet should close the inlet or outlet valves, since other arrangements, whereby it should operate to control the flow of liquid, may be used without departing from the spirit of our invention, the main distinguishing feature of which is the use in an hydrator of a variable weight for controlling the flow of liquid in connection with the absorbent freely-suspended curtain, as herein fully set forth. The liquid used with our hydrator may if desired, be charged with perfumes or disinfectants.

What we claim is- 1. The combination of a receptacle containing or adapted to contain water or other liquid, a water-passage therefor, and means for controlling said passage, comprising a variable weight in the form of a freely-suspended and exposed curtain of absorbent material, said passage extending to the curtain for conveying water thereto, and a counter-balance for said variable weight, whereby the wet absorbent curtain overbalances the opposing force and whereby said opposing force is allowed to act when the weight of the absorbent material decreases by evaporation of the liquid, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a receptacle containing or adapted to contain a liquid, a valve controlling the flow of said liquid, an absorbent freely-suspended curtain in position to be wet by liquid escaping from said receptacle for moving the valve when the liquid absorbed by it reaches a certain weight, and means for reversing the movement of the valve when the weight decreases by evaporation of the liquid, substantially as described.

The combination of a receptacle, an outlet therefor, a valve, a movable arm or frame connected to the valve and having means for moving it in one direction, a tube supported by said arm or frame, and an absorbent curtain freely supported by the tube, said tube being in communication with the outlet, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a valve and means for moving it, consisting of a counterbalanced arm or frame and an absorbent curtain freely supported thereby, constituting a variable weight for vmoving the arm or frame, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a receptacle containing or adapted to contain a liquid, an outlet therefor, a valve for said outlet, an arm connected to the valve, means tending to move said arm in one direction to move the valve, and a water-absorbing curtain suspended from said arm, the weight of which tends to move said arm in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

'6. The combination of a suspended curtain, a valve connected to and operated by the weight of said curtain, means at the top of the curtain for conveying water to it, and a catch-trough at the bottom of the curtain, substantially as described.

7. Thecombination of a receptacle having a valve-opening controlling the same, means for moving the valve in one direction, consisting of a freely-suspended curtain of absorbent material, wet by liquid flowing from said receptacle, and -means for catching or retaining liquid that reaches the bottom of the curtain, substantially as described.

8. The combination of'a receptacle having a valve-opening for controlling the same, means for moving the valve in one direction, consisting of a freely-suspended curtain of absorbent material, wet by liquid flowing from said receptacle, and a trough at the bottom of the curtain and supported thereon, substantially as described. v

9. The combination of the tube suitably supported and having a slit along its lower side, and means for introducing water into said tube, of the curtain of absorbent material held in and closing said slit, whereby water in the tube will be absorbed by the curtain, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 13th day of August, 1891.

EVERETT W. FRAZAR. itnesses:

W. Soorr SIMs, EVERETT FRAZAR.

This specification signed and witnessed this 22d day of August, 1891.

FREDERIO THUMAN. Witnesses:

J. T. CANTWELL, A. ll. JAoKsoN. 

